


leaving out the side door

by inlovewithimpossibility



Series: olicity x folklore [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Office, Angst, Breakup, CEO Felicity Smoak, CEO Oliver Queen, F/M, Gala/Ball, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Miss Swift Owns Me, Song: exile (Taylor Swift)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26235157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: Breakups are always hard... they're harder when you co-run a company with your ex. The Smoak-Queen Incorporated annual gala is almost hell for recently separated Oliver and Felicity.[part four of seventeen in the 'folklore' series]
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen & Felicity Smoak
Series: olicity x folklore [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875232
Comments: 36
Kudos: 167





	leaving out the side door

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, welcome back to the Folklore series and to Exile! If you've heard the song, you probably already know there's some angst ahead! If you enjoy and you're so inclined, please let me know by leaving a kudos and/or comment, they really do make my day!

* * *

The annual gala is something that Felicity always used to look forward to.

The chance to get dressed up, to dance and drink the night away whilst improving the company? It’s a dream situation. It’s the side of running a company that Felicity never thought she’d enjoy but grew to love.

Until now.

For the past five years, the gala was always an event that she and Oliver would attend together and she looked forward to getting to see him in a formal suit, to dance with him, and go home with him.

Everything’s different now though.

She spends the afternoon at a stylist, hair and face being preened and primped to perfect until her long blonde hair flows effortlessly down her back and her complexion shines immaculately. She spends the early evening slipping into the long satin dress and sparkling heels, the back comprised of only two strings across the slope of her skin before the dress starts properly at the small of her back.

She looks incredible, powerful but feminine, and everything she wished she could be when she was just starting out in this cutthroat business. It’s heart-breaking that finally attaining that has come with heartbreak.

The past month has been the weirdest experience of her life, and that’s saying something. Smoak-Queen Incorporated has been her passion project, her baby of the past five years. She’d been initially terrified when her investors, Robert and Moira Queen of Queen Consolidated, offered to triple their investment price if she agreed to take on their son, Oliver, as co-CEO, but she never expected the journey that came out of that. Oliver, who was known for his playboy ways and general apathy towards hard work, actually turned out to be an incredible partner in more ways than one. A year into their partnership at the company, they deepened their relationship from a professional one into something so much more and Felicity found herself in the throes of love. The next four years were a whirlwind, but the most incredible twister she’s ever experienced, until suddenly last month, she was spat out of the eye of the hurricane and into the grey of the enervating world.

Oliver walked.

Right out of their shared apartment, leaving Felicity to crumble to the ground and once again feel the unforgiving grip of heartbreak wrap its way around her soul. She’s been stumbling through ever since, forcing herself to ignore the way her heart calls out to him when she passes him in the hall or is forced into meetings with him. She’s been a shadow of herself for the past month, running away from situations and attempting to hide the best she can.

Which is why tonight is so important despite the fear the thought of it sends rushing through her bloodstream.

Tonight, she says no more. Tonight, she owns the fact that she is a self-made millionaire and a boss queen. She refuses to allow herself to be dictated by heartbreak. Tonight, she’s Felicity Smoak and she will finally own all the power that name holds.

She looks the part for sure… now she just needs to feel it.

Her phone pings to let her know that her driver is outside and she takes one last look in the mirror, smiling at the confidence her reflection fills her with as she shrugs a light black coat over her shoulders and scoops up a small black handbag. All their employees are invited to the gala, and that includes their usual drivers, so Felicity is in a Lyft tonight. That’s fine by her, the driver is nice enough and he talks to her about the company when he recognizes her. before she knows it, she’s stood at the end of the green carpet (to match their company’s logo) that marks the entrance to the event.

She knows that both she and Oliver asked for this portion of the night to be taken out this year. Neither of them particularly want to walk a carpet for the media and be hounded by questions about their relationship when it’s in such a fragile state. They’ve always been private people but Felicity knows the tabloids have caught wind of their breakup and arriving separately tonight is most likely going to be the nail in the coffin.

It’s a lot to take in, a lot to process for her, and the fear grips at her once more as she takes a deep breath and hands her coat off to a waiting concierge. It takes a lot out of her to take the first steps onto the carpet but once the cameras start flashing, she falls back into her public face. She’s not used to doing this without Oliver at her side, but she _can_ do it. She’s a strong woman and she’s more than capable of posing for a few photos.

She blocks out the sounds of reporters and the invasive questions they ask. It’s a practiced routine, the way to stand and not smile so that every photo a photographer snaps will paint her and the company in a good light. Even before the breakup, the questions the media would yell weren’t anything Felicity wanted to answer, so ignoring them is pretty easy, even if the reminder of her being on her own is gut-wrenching.

The carpet passes in a blur of bright flashes and loud voices and Felicity is dazed as she wanders into the gala event itself.

The entire ground floor of the company building has been transformed. Tasteful lights have been hung everywhere and the walls are lined with tables full of food and drink. Waiters circle the event with platters, handing out said snacks and drink to the guests, and a small stage has been set up in the back corner where a live band is currently playing. The room is filled with men and woman festooned in their best dress, mingling, laughing, and generally making merry. It makes Felicity smile as she remembers what she really loves about these events; seeing her employees and investors alike enjoy themselves and just generally have a good time.

She’s always wanted to be an employer who provides for her staff, the sort of boss who not only puts on events like this but provides for them when it matters in their everyday work life. She’s proud to be able to say she is that kind of employer, that her employees sing their praises in terms of satisfaction.

It’s doubly as hard then, to see the manifestation of what she and Oliver have built together, the company that she’s so proud of, when the mere thought of him is so painful to her.

“Felicity! Oh my god, look at you, you look so amazing!”

Felicity jumps at the sound of a familiar voice, turning to see a very familiar-looking small brunette grinning excitedly at her. Something deep within Felicity tugs harshly, the sight of Thea, Oliver’s younger sister, and one of her own best friends, making her incredibly emotional. She feels bad, she’s been avoiding Thea since the breakup, and the sight of the nineteen-year-old she’s watched grow from an inquisitive fourteen-year-old to the intelligent and hilarious woman before her forces her to face that behavior.

“Thea? I… I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Felicity blinks, shaking her head to brush off the emotion, painting a smile on her face as she steps up to the pretty young woman. Thea’s dressed in a pretty cocktail dress, covered in sequins and beads. All in all, it’s the embodiment of the girl before her.

“Really? We come every year,” Thea comments with a smirk, and Felicity’s stomach drops as she spots Robert and Moira, Oliver and Thea’s parents, over the shoulder of the young woman. The Queens were her initial investors but they became like surrogate parents to her over the course of Felicity and Oliver’s relationship and Felicity hadn’t considered just how emotional it would make her to see them in the flesh for the first time since the breakup here. It hurts, she’s missed them something awful, but she also feels like she doesn’t have a place with them anymore.

“I… I guess I’m not thinking straight,” She shakes the odd feeling off, painting on her best smile to attempt to reassure Thea. She should’ve known that Thea would see straight through it, the young woman knows her too well for that, and she, sure enough, does, rolling her eyes affectionately with a small scoff.

“Hey, for what it’s worth, I’ve told him about 80 million times that he’s the biggest idiot in the entire world for letting you go,” Thea states plainly with her characteristic bluntness and lack of tact. The harshness of her statement isn’t shocking to Felicity, she’s used to it, but it does make her smile.

“Well, it’s good to be reminded that some Queens have brains,” Felicity finds herself joking and the slightly scared look on Thea’s face diminishes until she’s smiling her usual bright smile at Felicity. Something she hasn’t felt since the breakup sparks in Felicity, a feeling of home and comfort deep within her.

She’s missed the Queens, all of them.

“We always knew I was the smartest,” Thea grins with a preening tilt of her shoulders and Felicity laughs, shaking her head affectionately as she smiles at the youngest Queen.

“That’s the truth,” She smiles warmly and the two girls hold eye contact for a long moment. Something passes between them, a tenderness filled with memories of weekends spent in the pool and secrets shared over morning coffee, and Felicity smiles as Thea’s expression melts into something softer before she steps closer to cup Felicity’s elbow.

“Hey, I hope we can get lunch still soon. Just because you and Ollie broke up doesn’t mean that we have to, right?” Thea questions and the hope on Thea’s face makes Felicity melt. She feels so awful about having avoided Thea for the past few weeks, the girl truly is one of her best friends and she’s right that her breakup with Oliver shouldn’t have to mean she loses Thea too.

“Definitely not, I’d love to start getting lunch again. I’m sorry I’ve been ghosting you,” Felicity responds with a warm smile but Thea just shakes her head with a reassuring smile.

“Hey, I totally get it. My idiot brother was the biggest idiot he’s ever been to you, you’re allowed to grieve that,” Thea assures her, smiling at her and Felicity sighs in relief, smiling back at the girl.

“Thanks, Thea,” She smiles as she lets out a deep breath, that feeling of home settling in her once more as the young woman grins at her.

“Always,” Thea grins at her and Felicity finds herself grinning right back.

The two women catch up for a little bit before Felicity is pulled away from her to do the rounds. She spends a good part of the evening chatting with their investors and members of the technological community in Starling who aren’t necessarily involved with Smoak-Queen Incorporated this point in time.

She’s been there a good hour before she even spots Oliver. When she does, it’s like the air around her freezes. Somehow, the crowd parts like the Red Sea to give her a perfect view through to where Oliver is stood on the other side of the large open space, chatting to one of their main investors. He looks as incredible as ever, he always did cut an almost perfect shape in a suit. Felicity feels as if life itself has frozen as she stares at him, everything about the day they fell apart comes rushing back to her. The stupid disagreement that sparked the fight, the way she was having the worst week, and that sparked the worst reaction in her. She recalls the vile things they’d hurled at each other as if five years of history didn’t linger heavily between them. Yes, Oliver had walked, but they were both to blame and as she stares at him across the room now, Felicity knows she’d give anything to go back in time and change that day.

…but she can’t.

“Miss Smoak?”

Felicity jumps at the sound of a voice, breaking her out of her pondering and she turns to see Ray Palmer stood behind her, looking handsome as always in an expensive-looking suit.

“Mr. Palmer! How are you? It’s been too long,” Felicity smiles, blinking the shock away as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, turning to face him properly.

“We’re doing very well, thank you for asking. How’re you? I heard about the breakup,” Ray smiles sympathetically, eliciting an embarrassed reaction from Felicity. She doesn’t want to be pitied for her and Oliver’s situation, certainly not by their competitors. She and Oliver may have broken up but their company is as strong as ever.

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Felicity reassures him with a warm smile, and Ray nods, a small embarrassed smile spreading across his own face. She’s grateful to see it, she truly doesn’t want rumors to spread of a compromised state within their company. Ray’s nice enough, but he’s the competition at the end of the day.

“Can I interest you in a dance?” He poses, gesturing to the dance floor where a few couples are spinning around to the slow song. Felicity’s eyes widen at the thought but she knows she can’t really refuse him politely.

“Of course,” She smiles politely, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her out to the floor.

He holds her a little closer than Felicity’s entirely comfortable with but it’s not an entirely unpleasant dance. They chat about their companies, neither revealing too much, clearly conscious of their position as each other’s competitors. Felicity likes Ray, he’s nice and polite and he’s never too overly friendly or condescending, but she has to admit she’s glad when she spots a figure heading over to them, clear in their intent of cutting in.

She’s blindsided then, when she realizes that the figure is Oliver himself.

“May I cut in?” He questions, looking between them with a slight scowl on his face. Felicity feels a familiar feeling stir in the pit of her stomach at the sound of the growl in his voice. She’s completely in shock, she fully expected them to ignore each other for the entire event but here he is, making a conscious effort to place himself in her evening.

“Oh, Queen! Felicity?” Ray jumps in surprise, looking down at Felicity in order to gauge her reaction to the suggestion. Felicity’s grateful for it, though she’s not too sure herself how she feels about it.

“It’s fine,” Felicity reassures the taller man, smiling at Ray as he nods in resignation and steps away, handing her hand over to Oliver.

Felicity cannot help the way that she gasps when her skin touches Oliver’s for the first time in a month. There’s always been this electricity between them, something they could never deny, and even with everything that’s happened between them, it’s clear that it’s there still.

“Can we talk?” Oliver questions with a raised eyebrow. It’s clear that he _is_ asking for permission and he’s nervous about doing so. Felicity’s extremely grateful for it, even if she has no idea about how to process her emotions about all of this right now.

Her brain is just a cacophony of thoughts and fears and feelings and it’s everything she can do to stop them from consuming her.

“Not here,” Felicity sighs but resigns, allowing him to lead her away from the crowd and into one of the ground floor meeting rooms after his sigh of relief and nod.

“Felicity… Palmer’s a scoundrel,” Oliver comments once she closes the door behind them and Felicity’s brow furrows at the fact that _Ray_ is apparently what he wants to talk about. She feels a familiar fire begin to work its way through her body, exactly the way it had that fateful day last month.

“Yeah well, you lost the right to make any comment on my love life when you walked out that door,” She finds herself biting at him. She doesn’t really mean it as fiercely as it comes out, but she’s just so mad that the first thing he’s said to her outside of a meeting environment since _he_ left is judging her for dancing with Ray.

It’s clear it takes Oliver back as well. He literally steps backward, a hurt expression covering his face as he blinks at her blankly for a moment. It takes him a moment, taking a deep breath before he shakes his head, looking at Felicity with scared eyes.

“I didn’t… I was scared,” He tells her gently, in a tone far softer than her own. Felicity’s brow furrows at that, completely baffled at his words.

“You were _scared?_ Of what, Oliver? _Me?_ We’d been dating for four years!” She shakes her head with a scoff, rolling her eyes. She doesn’t want to hear his bad apologies. Yes, they were both at fault, but him leaving was the nail in the coffin for Felicity. He knew… he knows how much she struggles with the concept of being left.

“Exactly! And everyone was saying that we needed to take things to the next level and I…” Oliver bites back, fire in his voice before he clearly begins to stumble for what to say, the fight leaving his posture as he sighs and flops back against one of the desks in the room.

“Everyone? _Everyone?_ Since when did everyone matter, Oliver? When did I ever give you any indication that I needed that?” Felicity shakes her head, trying to wrap her head around this new information. Their fight that day had been trivial and non-sensical, she’d had no idea that all of this was festering beneath it all.

“You didn’t,” Oliver reassures her, his eyes begging for her to understand it but Felicity just shakes her head.

“Exactly,” She states simply with a shrug and Oliver stares at her with such a heartbroken expression. It reaches into her chest and wraps around her heart, clenching at it painfully as she stares at the man that despite it all, she can’t help but still consider her forever.

“Felicity…” He tries but Felicity takes a breath as she feels herself getting emotional. She can’t afford to go back out to the gala looking like a heartbroken mess, they as a company cannot afford that image right now.

“No, not tonight. I can’t do this tonight,” Felicity tells him, shaking her head as she gestures a hand towards him. She’s in the process of turning around and heading straight for the door herself when she freezes at the sound of Oliver speaking her name in the most _gutting_ tone.

He’s desperate, she can hear it, and there are tears in his eyes when she spins back to look at him. He looks like a mess and it’s clear to Felicity that she’s not the only one that’s been struggling recently, she’s not the only one that’s been living behind a mask. A moment in time suddenly comes flying back to her, years ago, when she promised that she’d always hear Oliver out. She knows she doesn’t necessarily have to honor that, but she’s always prided herself on being a woman of her word and she won’t go back on that now. Taking a deep breath, she nods her head at him, prompting him to say whatever it is that he has to.

“Please, I… I have been in _hell_ ever since I left that apartment. Seeing you at work every day is the most incredible pain. It guts through me every time. The constant reminder that I left you standing there and now… you’re doing so well without me…” He starts to speak, his voice thick with emotion and clearly just as cut up as she is. It grips through Felicity, the thought that he’s been in the same boat and they’ve just both been so miserable. How did they get to this? How, when they were so happy, did it all fall apart so spectacularly?

“Well? You think I’m doing _well?_ Oliver… I… I opened my heart up to you, loved you for four years, and you knew how hard it was for me to let someone else in after my father and Cooper and you still stood up and walked out that apartment, leaving me alone. If you think that I am doing _well,_ then you’re falling for the act that I am having to put on for the rest of the world because we still have lives to lead and a company to run. Don’t for one minute think that I am doing _well,_ however. Not when you’re the one who left me in that apartment,” Felicity finds herself countering, shaking her head. It baffles her how they have come to land at such a disconnect. She loves him so much, she still does and she knows she always will.

“Felicity…” Oliver tries but clearly doesn’t know what to say in response. Felicity sighs, shaking her head. They used to communicate so well, when did that stop?

“No, I will stand here and I will pretend everything is fine because we have worked too damn hard on this company to allow it to fall under something like this. I will fight for this company until the breaking branch we’re standing on snaps,” Felicity assures him, the fight and determination in her voice strong and clear. She loves him but this company is her baby and she won’t let it fall.

“I want to fight for this company, but I also want to fight for _you,”_ Oliver counters, that same heartbroken expression on his face and Felicity sighs.

“Is there anything to fight for?” She finds herself questioning, unsure that she even wants to know the answer to that question.

“I think so… I hope so. I mean, I know I messed up, but I want to try,” Oliver practically begs, his eyes unlike anything she’s ever seen on him before. He clearly cares, he wants this and Felicity… Felicity doesn’t know what she wants anymore.

No, that’s a lie. She wants this too, she’s just scared to hope all over again, the image of him walking out of the apartment engrained in her mind.

“Didn’t we try? Haven’t we hit a hurdle we can’t jump over?” Felicity asks, feeling her own eyes fill with tears at the thought. It’s not what she wants in the slightest but she can’t help but feel like it’s the truth. She’s been through this so many times, sometimes it’s easier to leave before you get left.

Oliver, however, it seems is not going to let that happen.

“I don’t think so. I know I messed up walking out, I never should’ve done that. I know how important to you staying is. The fight we were having though? That’s not a relationship-ending fight, Felicity. We can save this, we can get to land before the branch breaks,” Oliver tells her with such fire and determination in his voice that it takes Felicity’s breath away. He pushes up off the desk, walking over to her with purpose but also care. Felicity gasps again when he clasps her hand, that same resolve flowing through his touch. She stares at their enjoined hands for a moment, that same feeling of home she had with Thea earlier worming its way through her.

“Show me there’s something left to fight for and then we’ll talk,” Felicity sighs, nodding her head. She feels like she’s just taken a step off a cliff, unsure that there’s anything there to catch her. She prays that Oliver will catch her before she stumbles down into the chasm but she’s truly unsure.

“I can do that,” Oliver assures her, a promise in his eyes that Felicity has missed. She’s missed the way he looks at her as if she’s his everything, as if she’s the only person in his world.

“Good,” Felicity nods with a small smile, giving his hand a squeeze before she extracts it and makes her way back towards the door.


End file.
